Forty-Seven Orgs from Across U.S. Sign-On In Support of Amicus Brief
Washington, DC – Today, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) and 47 organizations from across the country urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Medicaid expansion included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments around the ACA’s Medicaid expansion tomorrow, we hope that it will consider the implications of its decision on the lives of Americans living with HIV or AIDS,” said NMAC Director of Legislative and Public Affairs Kali Lindsey. “Socio-economic status is arguably the most significant factor in determining an individual’s vulnerability to a number of health problems, including HIV. Ensuring that the most vulnerable among us have access to quality health care services is the single most important step we as a nation can take to combat any epidemic, including HIV/AIDS.”
NMAC filed an amicus brief with the Court in February urging it to uphold the Medicaid expansion. It was joined in its brief by four national HIV/AIDS organizations: amFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research; the HIV Medicine Association; the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors; and the Treatment Access Expansion Project. Another 43 organizations, representing a broad coalition of public health, LGBT and social justice groups, have also signed on in support of our position that the Medicaid expansion is critical to U.S. efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic and should be upheld.
“NMAC is proud to stand with its partners in support of the ACA and its Medicaid expansion,” continued Lindsey. “From the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the National Hispanic Medical Association, the diversity of organizations supporting NMAC’s position highlights the importance of this expansion in mitigating the numerous health disparities facing minority communities and combatting the spread of HIV. This case is about much more than legal abstractions or the theoretical limits on Congressional authority. It is about whether we as a nation will do what it takes to finally end this epidemic.”
NMAC’s amicus brief can be read here: https://www.nmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/NMAC_ACA_AmicusBrief.pdf
The Statement of Support can be read here: https://www.nmac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/NMACMedicaidAmicus_StatementofSupport.pdf
Contact: Kyle Murphy, (202) 483-6622 ext. 333
kmurphy@nmac.org